Saudi-led coalition continues battle against Houthi rebels

The Saudi-led coalition destroyed a number of Houthi ammunition stores outside the Yemeni capital on Wednesday as violence abated in the southern city of Aden after days of clashes between local security forces and government troops.

Five coalition air strikes targeted rebel stores in the Houthi stronghold of Al Geraf, to the north of Sanaa. The stores supply rebel fighters in Al Geraf, as well as the areas of Shaoub and Bani Hosheish, located north-east and east of the capital respectively.

"Ammunition stores, which were hidden among civilian buildings, caught on fire and stayed lit throughout the day," a resident told The National.

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Beyond the Headlines podcast: In Yemen, a violent week complicates a nuanced war

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The strikes came as local security forces in Aden — Yemen's interim capital — tightened their grip on government offices, the spokesman of the city's police, Lieutenant Abdulrahman Al Nakeeb, told The National.

It follows days of clashes between Aden's security forces and troops loyal to president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi. Mr Hadi's government was forced to relocate to the southern port after the Houthis captured Sanaa in 2014.

“The security forces of Aden are committed to securing everywhere in the interim capital as they hold the responsibility to protect the government as well as the private sectors all over the city," said Lt Al Nakeeb.

Aden's security forces support the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a semi-autonomous body calling for southern Yemen to secede from the north, but have stressed they will continue to support the battle against the Houthis.

"We are a part of the Arab coalition and we will work hard to achieve its goals in the north as we did in the south," former Aden governor and Southern Transitional Council president Major General Aidarous Al Zubaidi said in an interview with France 24 on Tuesday.

Maj Gen Al Zubaidi said forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council were ready to go further with the coalition to liberate Sanaa of the Houthi presence and restore the internationally recognised government.

But he urged the Saudi-led alliance to “change the current government, which wreaked havoc in the liberated provinces and drove the people to the brink of famine”.

The Southern Transitional Council was formed by the secessionist Southern Movement last year and consists of a president and 25 members from all eight southern provinces, including three women. It aims to be the representative of southern Yemen and to rule the south if the government fails to do so.

Clashes broke out on Sunday when supporters of the council tried to hold protests in Aden calling for government ministers to step down, accusing them of corruption. A day before the government had banned all protests and gatherings in the city.

"People went to raise their voice peacefully but the government of corruption fired at them," Maj Gen Al Zubaidi said. "Such behaviour forced the resistance to protect the protesters and dismiss the government because the president didn't respond to the voice of the people."

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6

Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm

Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km

Price: Dh375,000

On sale: now

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Kanguva

Director: Siva

Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley

Rating: 2/5

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

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Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed

Wicked

Director: Jon M Chu

Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre V8

Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm

Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: L/100km

Price: Dh306,495

On sale: now

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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20

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If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

Mobile phone packages comparison

If you go

The Flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.

The trip

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.